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The Flight of the Valkyrie
Regular Prisoners * Colonel Hogan - Bob Crane * Corporal Louis LeBeau - Robert Clary * Corporal Peter Newkirk - Richard Dawson * Sergeant James Kinchloe - Ivan Dixon * Sergeant Andrew Carter - Larry Hovis Camp Personnel * Kommandant Wilhelm Klink - Werner Klemperer * Sergeant Hans Schultz - John Banner Semi-Regulars * Fraulein Helga - Cynthia Lynn * Corporal Karl Langenscheidt - Jon Cedar * Colonel Rodney Crittendon - Bernard Fox Guest Stars * Baroness Lili - Louise Troy * Oscar Schnitzer - Walter Janowitz * Pilot - Frank G. Tallman Synopsis Early in the episode, Colonel Hogan and his men have smuggled into camp a German Baroness who is actually an Allied spy who had earlier been discovered by the Gestapo and needed to be smuggle out of Germany. Hogan is soon called into Klink's office. During a conversation with Colonel Klink about the recent incidents at the prison camp, Klink informs Hogan, after telling him a joke about two race track touts, that he was going to be replaced by a British officer who was his senior in rank, who was being transferred from Stalag 18 because of his reputation as an officer who constantly escapes but is always recaptured. Klink seems to like the idea of seeing Hogan being demoted in seniority, while Hogan, although he doesn't show it, doesn't like the idea as it may disrupt his organization. He'll soon like the idea even less when he and his men finally meet their new superior officer, Colonel Crittendon. Crittendon, who is suppose to be twelve years senior in rank to Hogan, is surprised to learn that there has been no successful escape attempts from the camp. He decides to correct this by having the prisoners, particulary Newkirk and Carter, start on an escape tunnel, not listening to Hogan or the other prisoners when they tell him the real reason why they haven't tried to escape: orders from London to spy on and sabotage the German war effort from the inside. Upon being informed of that, Crittendon informs Hogan that he follows the rules of war, which would mean that if what he'd been told Hogan was true, he would have to turn over to Klink anyone involve in such clandestine activities. As Crittendon endevours causes more problems for Hogan and his men in Barracks 2, the prisoners were still trying to figure out how to get Baroness Lili out of the camp. During one unsuccessful escape attempt, the prisoners discover a crashed plane and its wounded pilot, which they then secretly bring into camp and under the cover of a prisoner's orchestra rehearsing Wagner, which was actually a Victrola, repaired the plane while hiding both the baroness and the pilot inside the tunnels. While all this was going on, Hogan comes up with a plan that would get the baroness out of Germany while also getting Crittendon transferred to another camp before his bungling exposes their whole operation. The plan was to have Crittendon convinced to lead an escape attempt through the barbed wire fence and when he attempts to cut the wires with wire cutters, the fence would go down, thus allowing the pilot to fly the baroness out of the camp while exposing Crittendon to be recaptured by the camp's guards. The plan goes off without a hitch: the pilot flies the baroness out of the camp after the fence goes down and Crittendon is later brought back to the camp by the alerted guards. Later, Klink is speaking with Hogan, informing him that Crittendon was being transferred back to his original camp, since he was causing Klink more trouble with his failed escape attempts then Hogan did when he was senior prisoner. This makes Hogan happy since he had removed someone who could've exposed his operation to the Germans because of his bungling. Story Notes * This is the ninth produced episode of the series, but the fifth one to be shown on television. * A couple of incidents from earlier episodes, Hold That Tiger and The Late Inspector General are mentioned during a conversation between Colonel Klink and Hogan which Klink claims were the reasons for Hogan being replaced as senior POW by Colonel Crittendon. * This is Crittendon's first appearance in the series. A British buffoon, Crittendon will return numerous times in the series, always to the dismay of Hogan and his men. Bernard Fox has guest starred in numerous series over the decades, but is best known as Dr. Bombay on Bewitched (1964-1972). * Crittendon's character is suppose to be a satire of the character "Big X" from the 1963 film, The Great Escape, which is thought of as being an inspiration for the series. * In the episode, it is claimed that Crittendon outranks Hogan by 12 years. He had been shot down "months ago" and had just been transferred from Stalag 18. Reason: He keeps trying to escape. * This is the first episode to show Klink playing the violin. * Also in the episode, Baroness Lili became one of Hogan's foreign love interests. The actress who played the Baroness, Louise Troy, later marries and divorces Werner Klemperer. She was the stepmother for his two children. * An historical figure, Richard Wagner, is mentioned in the episode. Also, the episode's title, The Flight of the Valkyrie, is based loosely on the song, The Ride of the Valkyries, which is played before and during the third act of his play, Die Walküre (The Valkyrie). * A ficitional character, Eliza, from Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, is mentioned in the episode. Quotes Inside the tunnel, as Kinch and LeBeau hear noises: * Hogan: Digging? * Kinch: Sounds like it. * Lili: Is it one of them? * Hogan: Worse--I think it's one of us. This would be confirmed by Carter, Newkirk and Crittendon appearing out of a hole from a freshly dugged tunnel. ------------- Schultz taking to Hogan after finding Lili inside Barracks 2: * Schultz: Where did she come from? Don't tell me, but wherever it was, put her back! ------------- Colonel Klink to talking to his secretary, Helga inside his office, while he play some of Wagner's music on his violin: * Klink: You know, Helga… you know that the whole of our beautiful national soul, our culture is expressed in the Ride of the Valkyries. * Helga: As a warrior, you must feel it deeply. * Klink: I do. Perhaps someday, as a fallen hero, I shall be carried off to Valhalla across the saddle of a beautiful German war maiden… such as you, my dear Helga. * Helga: Are you volunteering for active duty, Herr Kommandant? * Klink: Be quiet and listen to the music. ------------- Newkirk and Carter conversing with each other as they watch Crittendon prepare to start cutting into the barb wire fence: * Newkirk: I'd love to see his face when he cuts that wire. * Carter: So would I. Timber. * Newkirk: I only hope that he doesn't get hit by the plane. * Carter: Why? * Newkirk: 'Cause he'd break a prop, that's why. ------------- Klink talking with Hogan after Crittendon has been transferred back to his original POW camp: * Klink: Was it really Col. Crittenden who was responsible for yesterday? * Hogan: Well, let's put it this way--we had to lose him. He was bad luck. Bloopers * There is no such rank as Colonel in the RAF. Crittenden's rank should actually be Group Captain. External links * The Flight of the Valkyrie at TV.com * The Flight of the Valkyrie at the Internet Movie Database * The Flight of the Valkyrie episode capsule at Webstalag 13 * Hogan's Heroes Fanclub * The Hofbrau Television stories Category:Season One